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Conclusion
Whenever we review a large display there are a few readers who ask, “why not simply use a television as your monitor? It’s cheaper.” While there are some Ultra HD TVs that cost less than the Philips BDM4065UC none of them come with DisplayPort inputs and some can’t accept 3840x2160 signals above 30Hz. The only way to do that over HDMI is with version 2.0 in both the display and graphics board.
We’ve seen the line between televisions and computer monitors blur over the years as resolutions have increased and nearly every flat panel utilizes some type of LCD technology. Even though plasma and OLED offer some advantages, it looks like LCD is here to stay and will likely remain the dominant tech for the foreseeable future.
As prices have fallen and screens have grown in size and resolution, it’s only natural for gamers and entertainment-seekers to gravitate towards larger monitors. But large computer monitors are always more expensive than their same-sized HDTV counterparts.
The BDM4065UC has in effect created its own product category. Ultra HD screens have been mainly seen in the more expensive lines from all major manufacturers. We’re seeing more budget displays in the 28-inch and 24-inch sizes but then you have to consider things like font scaling and just what you’re planning to use your monitor for.
Ultimately what enthusiasts seem to want is some flavor of IPS, decent response, large size and good value. With this new panel part, Philips has delivered all of these along with the best contrast we’ve measured outside a plasma TV.
Our test results speak for themselves. Even after calibration the BDM4065UC’s contrast is more than double that of the next-best screen in our database, BenQ’s BL3200PT. Compared to that excellent monitor, it adds Ultra HD resolution and eight more diagonal inches for only about $250 extra. The only flaws we discovered were saturation errors in the blue and red primary colors. Ultimately we had no problem living with a little inaccuracy given that our principal usage amounted to gaming and productivity. And we would likely chuck the non-adjustable stand for something with height and tilt functions. That’s probably the one corner Philips cut to keep the price down. Better that than accepting lesser performance.
The BDM4065UC isn’t perfect but it does a lot of things well and it has amazing contrast and a beautiful image. That coupled with the fact that it’s a completely unique product earns it our Tom’s Editor Approved Award.
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Christian Eberle is a Contributing Editor for Tom's Hardware, covering Monitors and TVs.
